Soccer as a Common Language

Soccer is central to the novel in that it is presented as a common form of language. Nearly everyone in Borg loves soccer and plays soccer. Soccer is so ingrained in the community that people’s personalities are defined by the team for which they root. In the community of Borg, soccer has the ability to draw people together, motivate people and comfort them.

“The only two noticeable things in Borg are soccer and the pizzeria, because these tend to be the last things to abandon humanity” (23). This sentence in Chapter 4 indicates how deeply ingrained soccer is in this community. The pictures of soccer jerseys and soccer balls in the recreation center and pizzeria underscore the importance of the game for this community. The children continue to play the game even though their soccer field has been sold and all of their...